The invention relates to a vehicle, in particular, to a motor driven utility vehicle which has a towable complementary unit having at least one wheeled axle and supporting legs. More particularly, to such a vehicle wherein the vehicle and complementary unit are coupled by way of a centering device and a locking mechanism.
In a known vehicle of the above-cited type (German Patent Application No. 1,580,019), the complementary unit has a centering device in the form of a connecting wedge which is introduced into a pocket of appropriate shape in the vehicle and secured therein by a retaining device. The disadvantage of this structure lies in the difficulty in the coupling of the complementary unit when the two vehicle components are oriented in different directions or at different angles, or when the terrain is uneven. This condition hinders the rapid coupling of the unit with the vehicle, especially in the case of units for emergency assistance, fire fighting, or the like.
Additionally, the coupling of a complementary unit to a vehicle by members in the form of truncated pyramids is known from German Patent Application No. 2,843,225 and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,291. This structure provides for a good coupling between the vehicle and the complementary unit, but entails the important disadvantage that, on uneven terrain or when the vehicle components are at different levels, the complementary unit cannot deviate from the vehicle, or vice versa, without direct transmission of the resulting torsional forces to the vehicle frame.
Accordingly, a principal object of the invention is to provide a vehicle with a complementary unit which can be rapidly coupled to, or disconnected from, the vehicle. A further object is to provide an improved arrangement for coupling a vehicle and a complementary unit, particularly one which will minimize transmission of torsional forces to the vehicle frame when coupling of a vehicle that is out of alignment with the complementary unit.
According to the invention, these objects are achieved in accordance with a preferred embodiment by arrangement, wherein the centering device has conically surfaced members on the vehicle and complementary unit, an elastic means is provided for enabling pivoting of the conically surfaced member of the complementary unit and its draft element during introduction thereof into the centering member of the vehicle, and a securing means for firmly retaining the centering member of the complementary unit is a fully connected, rigidly coupled configuration.
Advantageously, because the draft element is pivotably mounted in the member of the complementary unit, said element can be introduced rapidly and simply into the corresponding receiver of the vehicle. Thus, the vehicle and the complementary unit may stand at an angle or deviate from each other as determined by course differences or terrain unevenness. The complementary unit is pulled in the direction of the vehicle by the draft element which is oriented in the correct position relative to the vehicle by the locking device. The two vehicle components are securely coupled by the locking mechanism. When the vehicle and the complementary unit are in a particularly unfavorable position, the complementary unit can be pulled along with the vehicle by the draft element as a single axle trailer to favorable terrain, and then the coupling operation can be conducted. The complementary unit is pivotably attached to the vehicle by the rotatable receiver of the vehicle member, so that relative misalignment of the vehicle components can be absorbed without transmission of substantial torsional forces to the frame elements.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention.